CorelDraw X3
I need to know how to produce a 53' x 3' banner on one continuous piece of roll paper on a Canon iPF8000s.
I have done it before (once) using "tiling" but I have forgotten how I accomplished it (and perhaps there is a simpler way)
Looking up the Canon iPF8000s shows that its maximum print size for roll paper is 10" X 44". Unless you have other information you will set your design page size in Corel as 53' X 3'. Once you are finished you will set your print page size as 10" X 44", or the correct spec. In the Layout you will check Tile Print and Tiling marks (for alignment). Corel will do the rest. You will need 64 pages to do the printing, best I can see. Attached is PDF.
The Canon iPF8000s is a wide format inkjet that will print up to 42" wide on roll paper and at least as long as the 53' I need (I know this because I did this banner before, on a continuous sheet of 36" wide tear resistant media -- as I mentioned in my original post.) I use CorelDraw X3, and the way I did the banner before was by using "Banner printing" and then "Tile Print Job" under the "Print/Layout" tab. This was a couple of years ago, and I can't remember what combination of settings I used. The ideal number of tiles Is 6, with each tile being 8.83' x 3'.
******Update -- my comments about the possible length were not correct. The printer will spit out a job as long as a whole roll of paper,BUT ---- The maximum print page size for the iPF8000s is actually 44" x 120" (10 feet).. That is why the tiles need to be 106" x 36" to produce the smallest number of printable tiles in a 53' x 3' banner (6).******
I have set, roll paper output to "Banner Printing", the design page size to 53' x 3', and the print page size to 36" x 106", and size of tiles to 8.83' x 3' and number of tiles is therefore 6. But when I hit [Print Preview] it doesn't come out right. I am using a rectangle with no outline 53' x 3' for testing purposes, centered on the design page. I have tried "as in document" to let Corel Draw automatically do tiles --no go. I have tried manually setting the first page tile size with imposition layout set to "center of page" -- no go.
(Should I be using "inches" in the design page instead of feet for consistency -- i.e. 636" x 36" ???)
Surely someone out there in Corel land has printed a long banner like this and can give me a hint or two.
Tom Weeks
Beer Man said:That is why the tiles need to be 106" x 36" to produce the smallest number of printable tiles in a 53' x 3' banner (6).******
Makes sense mathematically, but things do not always work out that way. It is those pesky margins factors, if they exist that get in the way and the fact that Corel (and the printer) use the entire print page size in the calculation. Not knowing if the printer has margins can cause double the tiles in some cases if your design extends into the side margins and/or an extra one page size in lengths. if there is a top/bottom margin. Add to that, the fact that Corel Print preview does not show the margins unless you hover the cursor over each tile (page) can confuse many.
Since you will now be using 106" x 36" page size per your calculations you really need to find out if the print driver has induced margins.
Open Draw and create a page size of 106" X 36". Next set your printer page size to the same under File > Print Setup. Select View from the menu bar then Show > Printable area. If the printer has margins, and I suspect it will, you will see the dashed margin line.
Check it out and post back. Hope I am explaining this clearly.
Re: Margins,
If my "document" on a regular print job intrudes into the margins, I get an error message: "Output does not fit in printable area" (or something similar). If I ignore the warning, CorelDraw (or the printer driver) automatically crops the document to create the margins (1/2"). I usually size my output to fit inside the margins, but sometimes, when losing a half inch at the edges doesn't affect the output too much, I just make the document the actual whole page size and let CorelDraw impose the margins by cropping. It is possible that when tiling print jobs the output can not intrude into the margins. (When using "banner printing" marginless printing is disabled). I will try shrinking my banner to fit within the margins when I get back to work, and let you know what happens.
Thanks again for your suggestions,
When you tile, the applcation will use as many print pages as it needs print the entire printable area adjusting the number of pages to factor in the non-print areas (margins). If you are printing a banner in landscape the print page is turned sidway thus the side margins become the horizonal magins. Crossing to those will cause double the number of tiles (pages) Crossing into the verticle margins, which by the nature of the banner you will, is calculated based on the print area width and the total width of the veritcal non-print area. This may or may not incease the horizontal tiles, based on print page width. If you manually calculate this, as you have done, you will increase the horizontal tiles. You have to allow for the total non-print area of each print page. Snce you are using roll paper, you may be better off using the the 120" length instead of using 106" Depending on placement you will end up with only one short roll instead of many 14" pieces of each roll used.
Print preview is a very good friend in these case.
Got it!
My main mistake was trying to use the "banner printing" option because using that I could not select "borderless printing".
Using borderless printing, there are no non-print areas, so I get six equal tiles of 106" x 36", with no gap between the tiles using 0.0" tile overlap.
Happy to hear you got it worked out.